"Lina, these past few days, has Ana still been staying in Singapore to take care of that Shun?" In the Snow Lotus Squad's base in Manila, the squad captain Christina asked Angelina, who often partnered with Ana.
"Yeah, she said she accidentally caused him to lose his memory and couldn't bear to leave him alone in the hospital, so she applied for the caregiving mission. Didn't you approve that mission yourself, Captain? Why are you asking me about it again today?" Angelina asked in confusion.
"Yeah, I know that's why I'm envious of Ana. Sigh!" Christina slammed her hand hard onto the solid wood desk in front of her, nearly splitting it in two.
"Envious? Captain, why would you envy Ana? Getting involved in such a troublesome situation taking care of an amnesiac isn't exactly easy."
Christina glanced at Angelina's clear, innocent eyes and shook her head helplessly. "Lina, you don't understand. You're not even 20 yet. Wait until you're my age you'll get it."
"What I'm jealous of is that Ana basically picked up a handsome amnesiac guy for free! Isn't that the kind of plot that only happens in romance novels?"
In short, Christina was simply sour like she had just chugged an entire crate of lemons.
"With your conditions, Captain, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a good man!" Schicksal's older Valkyries were either lesbians or single. Logically speaking, with their status and abilities, it should be impossible for them not to find good partners. This was something Angelina had always been puzzled about.
She also remembered that their marriage-obsessed captain was quite popular in high society. Because of their work, Schicksal Valkyrie squads stationed around the world were always courted by local elites.
For example, just like the squads stationed in Japan and Korea they were the true rulers of those nations, wielding absolute violence that superseded secular authority. That was Schicksal.
"Hmph hmph. Which of those men aren't just after my power? Compared to that, Ana's 'heaven-sent nurturing route' is the real kingly path."
"Captain, you should read fewer romance novels!" Angelina said helplessly. She couldn't understand why even she a young girl didn't read those romance stories, yet the captain and some of the older squad members were completely hooked on them.
"But all I can do is fantasize through YY romance novels. I can't possibly actually hurt someone, right?" Christina stated the cruelest truth in the calmest tone possible.
"Captain…" Angelina fell silent for a moment. She only knew that Schicksal Valkyries had very short average lifespans almost none lived past forty.
Most Schicksal Valkyries did not possess Honkai energy adaptability high enough to sustain long-term frontline combat. To solve this problem, they had to transplant artificial Stigmata.
But transplanting artificial Stigmata came at a cost. While they granted Valkyries improved Honkai adaptability and physical strength, they also relentlessly drained their life force.
Generally speaking, Valkyries who had transplanted artificial Stigmata rarely served for more than ten years. Usually, within that time, their bodies would collapse under the burden of the artificial Stigmata, forcing them to retire to the rear lines.
And even those who retired to the rear would eventually die from progressive organ failure.
Christina, as the Snow Lotus Squad captain, had already been fighting for 13 years an extremely rare case across all of Schicksal. It was said that Bishop Otto had repeatedly suggested she retire early and enjoy the rest of her life under Schicksal's superior medical care.
But every time, Christina refused. She came from Siberia and was one of the survivors of the Second Honkai Eruption.
Back then, when the Second Honkai broke out in Siberia, her hometown was completely destroyed by Honkai. A Schicksal Valkyrie wielding the holy white lance of a Knight had saved her. She was merely one of countless people that Valkyrie had rescued.
Even though she had been saved, that Honkai outbreak had taken everything from Christina. From that moment on, she vowed to dedicate the rest of her life to revenge against Honkai so she joined Schicksal.
Later, she learned that the Valkyrie who saved her was Cecilia Schariac the strongest S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal at the time. But Cecilia ultimately perished in that same Honkai outbreak, dying together with the Second Herrscher.
Yet that only deepened Christina's hatred for Honkai. Until the day her life ended, she would never leave the front lines of the battle against Honkai.
"Lina, I remember you and Ana both have very high Honkai energy adaptability, right? You didn't need to transplant artificial Stigmata."
"Yeah, neither Ana nor I transplanted artificial Stigmata." Unlike Christina, who joined midway as a vengeance-driven fighter, Angelina had been trained as a prospective Valkyrie from childhood. Her innate Honkai adaptability was already very high though still not on the level of the broken Kaslana or Schariac bloodlines.
"That's good. The Snow Lotus Squad will be entrusted to you young ones in the future." Christina looked calmly at Angelina. She was 28 this year. The flame that had burned using her own life as fuel was about to go out she could feel it.
"Hm? What's wrong? You've been staring at me hurry up and pack your things already." Seeing Shun still not moving, Ana couldn't help but urge him.
"Oh, sorry. It's just… I've been stuck in this hospital room for so long, and now I'm suddenly being discharged. I feel a bit uneasy about it."
Hearing Shun's worry, Ana comforted him. "It's fine. I promised I'd help you recover your memories, didn't I? Trust me."
"Yeah, I trust you, Ana." For the current Shun, Ana was undoubtedly the only person he could trust. Moreover, the natural sense of closeness he felt toward her made his trust in her absolute.
"But you got one thing wrong just now. Didn't we go up to the rooftop to stargaze last night? How can you say I never left the room?"
Ana would have been better off not mentioning it once she did, Shun couldn't help but complain. "It would've been nicer if we hadn't been mistaken for a couple about to jump off the building. Plus, you can't even see the stars from here."
"Aww, next time I'll take you to Tokyo Skytree. They say it's the tallest building in Asia!" Ana immediately painted a big, tempting picture.
"Tokyo Skytree?" For some reason, when Shun heard that name, something stirred in his mind.
"Is that the warmest place in the world?" Shun asked.
"? Huh? I've never heard that saying before. Did you remember something again, Shun?" These past few days, Shun had recalled bits and pieces here and there, but they were all fragmented and meaningless.
For example, once he claimed he was a shinobi from Ashina, on a mission to sever immortality and protect the Divine Child, and that his purpose was to link the fire or something.
Ana immediately recognized it as some ACGN setting bleeding into reality and gradually stopped placing any hope in such "memories." This time, though, something related to the real world had appeared, so she naturally paid attention.
Shun shook his head. He wasn't sure. He only remembered that in that memory fragment, there was mention of Disneyland, Asakusa Temple, and Meiji Shrine. The most vivid part was watching the sunset in Ehime Prefecture.
Fortunately, Shun told Ana about these things.
"Hmm… it sounds like you were on a date with a girl. Do you remember what she was called?" For some unknown reason, hearing Shun talk about this made Ana feel a slight discomfort in her heart like something that belonged to her was about to be taken away.
"How would I know? I don't have any impression at all." But Shun did remember that the story seemed to have ended tragically.
"Then let's do this: to help you remember sooner, we'll go together to all the places you mentioned. How about it? Even if you don't remember anything, we can just make new memories."
It would be nice if we could overwrite that memory, Ana couldn't help thinking.
Shun didn't hesitate. How could Ana possibly harm him? He immediately agreed cheerfully.
"Sure!"